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Entertainment Fact and Fiction - Kentucky Fried Movie

MOVIE TRIVIA

In the "Fistful of Yen" sketch, when Loo first meets Dr. Klahn, the Chinese characters start speaking in Korean. Klahn says "Sorry to Korean fans that we're talking random things in Korean, but someone asked me to speak in Korean so I just have to."

David Letterman auditioned for the role of the newscaster.

Original titles for the film included "Free Popcorn" and "Closed for Remodeling". Presumably, both of them were rejected for the confusion they would cause when printed on a theater marquee.

When Big Jim Slade bursts into the bedroom near the end of the "Sex Record" segment, the soundtrack plays "Hevenu Shalom Aleichem", a Hebrew song used in the welcoming of people. The soundtrack is literally welcoming Big Jim into the film.

The opening prologue of the film's "On-Set Home Video" featured on the DVD's special features states: "The following 8mm home movies were shot on the sets of _The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) by David [Zucker (David Zucker)] and Jerry Zucker . . . to send home to their parents to prove they were working in Hollywood".

Both Tony Dow and Jerry Mathers were approached about reprising their respective roles as Wally and Beaver (from Leave It to Beaver (1957)) for the courtroom sketch. Mathers declined.

When Michael Jackson selected 'John Landis' to direct Michael Jackson: Thriller (1983), the only Landis works he had seen were An American Werewolf in London (1981) and Kentucky Fried Movie.

Jerry Zucker, David Zucker and Jim Abrahams shopped the movie around the Hollywood studios but were turned down by all of them being told that "audiences didn't like movies composed of sketches".

This was the movie that lead John Landis to be hired to direct National Lampoon's Animal House (1978).

Because of the low budget and poor funding, the movie was shot with a variety of different cameras at any locations that were available, using actors willing to work for near-nothing paychecks. Likewise, in order to offset the potential of the few investors pulling out due to objectionable material, the less-offensive portions were filmed first, saving the raunchy stuff for last (or just plain keeping it hidden until the last minute). The end credits (proclaiming "in order of appearance" and then beginning with cast members introduced 2/3 of the way into the movie) are actually the order in which the skits were supposed to appear; the makers ran out of money and couldn't afford to create new ones.

Exteriors of Klans Lair were shot at a Japanese restaurant in Hollywood.

Time Magazine said that the directors did a masterful job of dubbing Klahn (in Fistful of Yen), even though they used his actual dialogue.

The scene in the "Catholic High School Girls In Trouble" trailer in which the young man says "Mrs Burke! I thought you were Dale!" to the woman he's sleeping with is a reference to an old Grape Nuts commercial in which a man mistakes his girlfriend's mother for his girlfriend.

The gorilla, Dino, is played by special effects make-up artist Rick Baker, wearing the prototype design he made to audition for King Kong (1976).

The movie showing in "Feel-a-Rama" at movie theatre was called "See You Next Wednesday" which is a joke phrase that features subtly in a number of the movies of John Landis. At the cinema, there is also a poster advertising Schlock (1973) which was also directed by John Landis, it being his first film, made and released about four years earlier.

The nunchaku scene in "Fistful of Yen" was until recently cut from the UK release. This is due to the fact that nunchaku are illegal weapons in Britain and Ireland. Only in recent times have the authorities loosened restrictions on displaying these weapons on TV and film.

A large slogan saying "FRYING HIGH!" confusingly suggested that this was the film's title on some of this film's Australian movie posters.

The name of porn actress Linda Chambers, who is seen in the trailer for "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble," was an amalgam of 70s adult film stars Linda Lovelace and Marilyn Chambers.

Breakthrough film of director John Landis and screen-writers and later directors Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker.

The literal English translation of the French title of this movie's sequel, Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), translates as "The Cheeseburger Movie" or "Cheeseburger Film Sandwich", whereas the literal English translation of the French title for The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) translates as being "The Hamburger Movie" or "Hamburger Film Sandwich".

Debut produced screenplay, both individually and as a team of three, for screen-writers David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams.

First ever movie collaboration of husband and wife team of director John Landis and costume designer Deborah Nadoolman. The pair have worked together in those roles in numerous movies that Landis has directed.

This movie's one and only ever sequel [to date, August 2013], Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), was made and released in 1987, which was about ten years after The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) debuted in 1977. The sequel's title did not evoke the title of this movie, though one of its working titles did, it being "The Kentucky Fried Sequel".

The scene in the "Feel-a-Rama" theater was filmed with only one camera, which made dubbing and matching lines with dialogue very difficult, especially because the film was shot on a low budget.

The film was divided into a series of skits, and the credits were divided up, based on the actor's appearances within the different skits. For marketing, officially the film's headlining stars were billed as (and officially recorded as) being George Lazenby, Bill Bixby, and Donald Sutherland, in that order.

Nearly all the extras and many of the actors in the "Fistful of Yen" sketch were recruited from nearby martial arts gyms.

Christopher Lee was offered a role but turned it down due to the character's resemblance to Fu Manchu.

Some of the movies shown in the film, such as "A Fistful of Yen" and "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble", are produced by fictitious producer Samuel L. Bronkowitz who is not actually ever seen in this movie. But an actor portraying Samuel L. Bronkowitz does host one of this film's trailers presenting The Kentucky Fried Movie (1977) to audiences.

The on-set home video extra on the DVD was filmed by co-scriptwriter Jerry Zucker during the making of the movie.

The picture features a number of members of The Second City Canadian comedy alumni as well as quite a number of former members of The Groundlings Theater.

One of the movie's main trailers features a dinner setting where a gigantic cooked bird is being served, either a turkey or a large chicken, thereby directly referencing Kentucky Fried Chicken. 1970s style KFC cardboard packaging can been seen in one of the film's actual skits.

The name of producer Samuel L. Bronkowitz, whose name features in a number of the movie's segments, was a spoof of the name of Hollywood producers Samuel Z. Arkoff and Samuel Bronston. Both were still working in 1977 when this picture came out, Bronston that year producing Brigham (1977).

The film was originally R-rated in Australia (restricted to adults 18 and over) and was then cut to get a theatrical release there with a lower rating, the modified version garnering an 'M' rating meaning the audience was recommended for people 15 years and older. The film was then released down under on the Video Classics Gold label in its entirety with its uncut R (= 18+) rating. The unedited version is now available on DVD in Australia with an MA (= 15+) rating which restricts audiences to those 15 years and older.

The film's original main movie poster featured a mash-up of a number of colorful icons and images. These included (1) A casual sneakers shoe with a KFM (Kentucky Fried Movie) logo (2) A rocket jet propulsion cylinder (3) A poking upwards red tongue (4) The Statue of Liberty (5) A pair of dancing girls legs and (6) American flag stars but without the stripes on the film's title logo.

The "Cleopatra Schwartz" title of the coming attractions movie in the segment of the same name was a spoof of the "Cleopatra Jones" movie titles of Cleopatra Jones (1973) and Cleopatra Jones and the Casino of Gold (1975).

Debut film as a producer for Robert K. Weiss. This movie's sequel, Amazon Women on the Moon (1987), was the debut film as a director for Weiss, one of that movie's five co-directors, who also produced both that movie and its precursor, this film. Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) was the first, final and only ever cinema movie where Weiss has acted as a director.

The final sketch of the film, where a couple are making out on the couch while being observed through the TV set, was originally done by Irish comedian Dave Allen in the very first episode of _"Dave Allen at Large" (1971-1976)_.

The first of a mini-cycle of movies with fast food titles, the others of which mostly got made and released during the 1980s. The films include Meatballs (1979), Fast Food (1989), Mystic Pizza (1988), Hamburger: The Motion Picture (1986) and Hot Dog... The Movie (1984).

Auditions for the film took place at The Kentucky Fried Theater.

The host of the oil commercial appeared in training videos for police departments that were made by the directing trio at Video Systems, where they met producer Robert K. Weiss.

This was the second consecutive John Landis) movie to feature a gorilla type animal as one had been in Landis' first film Schlock (1973) which had been made and released about four years earlier.

The name of the manufacturers of the "Scot Free" board-game, "Barker Brothers", was a spoof of real life board game producer "Parker Brothers".

The movie's writers, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and David Zucker, did not work on this movie's sequel Amazon Women on the Moon (1987).

This movie was one of a group of movies released in 1977 that didn't contain the letter "Z" in the title.

The picture's style of opening credits and featured 'ole time tune were not unlike those often featured in a Woody Allen film.

The song played over the end credits, "Carioca," is credited to "Jonathan and Darlene Edwards," who in reality were band-leader Paul Weston and his wife, singer Jo Stafford. The Edwards personae were created by the duo as a joke at parties, but eventually they recorded a number of LPs.

Segments which were "Coming Attraction" trailers of fictitious films included such titles as "Cleopatra Schwartz", "That's Armageddon" and "Catholic High School Girls in Trouble".

The shortest episode in the movie was the first "11 O'Clock News" segment which ran for just four seconds. The longest of the segments was "A Fistful of Yen" which runs for 31 minutes and 34 seconds.

Cameo
Tony Dow: As Wally in the "Courtroom" segment.

Stephen Bishop: As a charming man. Bishop played charming characters in such other John Landis movies Animal House (1978) (as a Charming Guy with Guitar)and The Blues Brothers (1980) (as a Charming Trooper).

Leslie Nielsen: Uncredited, as a man in the Feel-O-Rama Movie segment.

Forrest J Ackerman: As a Jurist in the segment "Courtroom". Ackerman also cameoed in this film's sequel Amazon Women on the Moon (1987) as the U.S. President in the "Amazon Women on the Moon" segment.